Today we’d like to introduce you to Reighn Williams.
Hi Reighn, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
My Family started our first shop in 2000. Due to some family reasons we had to take a hiatus from coffee in 2012. I grew up in the back room of our coffee shop. Some of my earliest memories are having my Dora the explorer foam couch and sleeping in the back, snacking on chocolate covered espresso beans when nobody was looking. I was young when my family closed our shop in 2012, but it was still upsetting for me since it was my second home. I adjusted and life went on. However, I didn’t exactly make the best choices as a teenager and got pregnant with my son at 17yo. My grandma (who started our original shop in 2000) was a single mom when my mom and uncle were young and didn’t want to have to see me be a nearly absent mother to work to provide for my son, she came to me & wanted to get back into the coffee business together this time, so I could be a fully present mother and still provide. Although owning a small business is never ending work it is work you can bring your children along with and include them. We opened our windows at Cowboy Coffee November 2, 2020, just 6 weeks after my son was born. It was HARD having a baby business, a literal baby, and being young myself, but I had my grandma and mom there every step of the way. The shop has not just allowed me to be a present mother it has been the avenue for me to build a community within my community. I have spent the last five years pouring myself into the shop & wearing many hats; Social media manager, HR, PR, therapist, Bookkeeper, & the list goes on. I plan to keep growing the shop and build it into something worthwhile to leave my children.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It has been anything but a smooth road. Anyone who tells you their small business has never had any issues is telling you a fib. I feel like our biggest obstacle has been the steady increase in goods since opening. It’s hard especially for small business to handle regular price increases in our goods.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Cowboy Coffee?
We are a drive thru only coffee shop in Santa Fe, TX. We are PNW style shop, which is definitely unique in this area, where traditional & chain coffee is the most common. Despite being PNW style we put our own twist on things; we carry up to a 42oz size cup for cold drinks since everything is bigger in Texas. As a brand I am most proud of our reputation of being there for our customers, whether it’s stopping what we are doing to give a customer a much-needed hug, or help fund raise for brain surgery we have been there. Our customers are family to us.
Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
Right now, even though there are tons and tons of people who support small businesses there is still a weird stigma around non-chain coffee shops. I really see with the surge in popularity of places like 7brew it will bridge the gap and help alleviate the stigma between chain and small business shops better then places like Starbucks & Dunkin have in the past.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.cowboycoffeesftx.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cowboycoffeesf/
